‘John Brooks should have reviewed incident’ as Joao Pedro controversy analysed vs Brentford
John Brooks should have been sent to the pitch-side monitor after Joao Pedro was brought down in Brentford’s penalty area.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Chelsea should have been a first-half penalty at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 17 January.
Hackett has already hit out at Craig Pawson for his lack of intervention in the Manchester derby, as Diogo Dalot avoided a red card, and he was out for VAR officials’ blood in West London as well.
In the 11th minute, there was a VAR check as Pedro hit the deck inside the penalty area, with replays showing that he had his heel clipped by Michael Kayode, only for the calls to fall on deaf ears.
After such a quick review, it is fair to say that the former head of the PGMOL was surprised by the incident.
Stuart Attwell to blame as Chelsea penalty claim waved away
Just 15 minutes before the Blues eventually opened the scoring, Liam Rosenior could have seen Chelsea take the lead from the penalty spot, but it was not to be at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “The player went to ground after having his heel clipped by his opponent. This, therefore, was a foul and should have resulted in the award of a penalty kick.
“John Brooks only has one view of this, while Stuart Attwell can replay it several times to determine the impact of the contact. Referee Brooks should have been instructed to review his decision at the pitch-side monitor.”
Pedro has been under pressure to improve at Chelsea, but the striker made a nuisance of himself against the Bees, and he was extremely lucky not to win his side a penalty in the early stages.
Joao Pedro creates more controversy with opening goal vs Brentford
The former Brighton man would eventually hit the back of the net, but celebrations were quickly silenced, as VAR got involved with a VAR check at Stamford Bridge.
It was an extremely close decision, but with semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), the right decision was reached, and the Brazilian international could finally celebrate his first goal in five games.
To be fair to Attwell, it was a very quick check, and with the ball rebounding off a Brentford defender, it was not an easy call to make. Clearly, the new technology is a plus when used correctly.
Keith Andrews‘ side also had some chances to get level in the first half, but the Blues were able to escape into the changing rooms with a one-goal advantage at the break.